Sustainable Sunglasses ft. Pala Eyewear

I’ve been on a mission to find sustainable sunglasses that also looked adorable for quite some time now. Every brand I found was either made of wood (nothing wrong with that, they just didn’t look cute), or looked too cheap, or wasn’t quite my style, etc.

Finally, I found Pala Eyewear and fell in love! Not just with their beautiful sunglasses, but with their ethics and sustainability practices too!

Did you know that Luxottica, the world’s largest eyewear company, owns a massive portion of the sunglasses on the market? With this monopoly they, of course, get to set whatever prices they please (markups can reach upwards of 1,000%!) Most designer frames (Chanel, Prada, Gucci, etc.) are owned by Luxottica and the cost of making these glasses are a fraction of what they’re charging for them.

Out of pure principle, I no longer want to support these brands and I haven’t even touched on the ethics of how they treat their workers! By supporting smaller brands like Pala, I can ensure that my sustainable sunglasses are top quality, are made ethically with sustainable materials, and the company is also giving back to communities in need. Why wouldn’t you want to support a brand like that over a massive, greedy monopoly? Okay, rant done.

Okay, let’s talk about these sustainable sunglasses a bit more. I’m wearing the model Meria in Dark Havana Tortoiseshell (which seems to be my default for all glasses!). I loved this style because they are a more timeless (longer lasting) take on the cat-eye trend that’s been happening. Not too small, not too big, just right for my face. The Farai in Flamingo also looks like an adorable pair that I’d love to get my hands on eventually!

The moment I pulled them out of their case (hand woven by talented artisans in Africa!) I felt quality like I’ve never felt in a pair of glasses before – seriously! They are sturdy and well made so that they don’t budge on my face, yet feel light enough to not leave marks on the bridge of my nose.

These sunglasses will become a new staple with all my outfits so be warned of continual exposure all throughout my Instagram page!

If you’re in need of a new pair of sunglasses, I’d really encourage you to take a look at Pala’s site and help support such a wonderful brand.